Lady Irina Petrov is the daughter of the Commander of the Little Archangel outpost on the island of Sitka. She longs to go back to the Russian Court, feeling that she is rapidly becoming a spinster. She has finally convinced her father to send her home.

Captain Nathan Hawkins of the Gull is sailing up the coast trading with the local Indians for furs, until he is captured by the Russians and imprisoned in Archangel.

A young woman of royal lineage falls in love with a hard working American sailor. She risks everything to set him free and stow away aboard his ship. He in turn risks his life and his freedom for her. Love does cross class barriers.

The author has obviously done a lot of research on the early settlements of Alaska and the fur trade. His descriptions of the time, places, and people are so vivid that the reader will easily slip into the time period. Irina is a very courageous woman and Nathan is well worth her efforts. Nathan’s crew is very warm hearted; I especially liked the cook and Toby the cabin boy. Irina’s handmaiden, Tanya, is very loyal to her, but a little cold-hearted otherwise. Irina’s parents are surprisingly understanding and forward thinking for the times and their class. The native people are very sympathetically described, as is their way of life. I felt as if I traveled back to the early eighteen hundreds, and Irina and Nathan’s love story was well worth the trip.

Maura
Reviewer for Coffee Time Romance
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